Sacrifice

The true “crisis” in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is not the suspenseful tragedy centered on Nora’s actions in attempting to save her family from disgrace, but rather simply a conflict between Nora’s societal and personal identities. In the start of the play, Nora and Torvald’s relationship is introduced as being shallow and primarily based on material possessions. In fact, it is the lack of substance to their initial conversation –along with the obnoxious excess of pet names- that makes the dialogue difficult for the reader to digest without being nauseated. At this point of the story, Nora is content to fit the mold of societal norms because she simply knows no other lifestyle and, in fact, believes herself to be truly happy. To this melodramatic character, the tragedy of the story is a public disgrace that, in her naïve outlook, she finds to be equivalent to death. The only character in the story to see the absurdity of this situation is Mrs. Linde, who allows Tarvold to receive the letter from Krogstad revealing Nora’s debt. She explains herself in doing this by remarking that after what she had seen in the Helmers’ residence in the last days made it necessary for the truth to come out, meaning that the fairytale that they had constructed on a bed of lies should not be allowed to last for all of their sakes. In this sense, Mrs. Linde was justified in her actions by the transformation that Nora undergoes in the final scene of the play. In her preparations to kill herself over her “disgrace,” Nora frees herself of her responsibilities to the society along with her possessions. Although she is saved by circumstance, she begins to look at the world with a radically different mindset, finds her life to be empty and chooses to leave on her own accord. She finds that her marriage is not based on true love – a discovery that Mrs. Linde had already made earlier in her life-, and that through following what is deemed “appropriate” by the people around her she has no real experiences or thoughts of her own. Up to this point she had been essentially a one dimensional “baby doll” to be played with by others. It is only through sacrificing everything and taking a stand in order to separate herself from her society that she finally becomes her own person (399).

"Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts"

It is often said that someone is his or her “own worst enemy” through counterproductive thoughts and actions. In reading Hamlet thus far, it has become clear that Hamlet –through his constant wavering in character, decision, and relative sanity- serves as the embodiment of this phrase.

Hamlet’s mistakes are mostly due to the fact that he is himself an intellectual and “over-thinks” his circumstances, thereby complicating them. This complication is shown best in Act III Scene III where Hamlet stays his hand in slaying Claudius for the sole reason that Claudius is praying and therefore “seasoned for his passage.” It does not occur to Hamlet that if he were to confront Claudius, an unforgivable vice would soon manifest itself. Hamlet, in this situation, thinks his way out of his responsibilities and leaves with so much haste that he does not hear that Claudius’s repentance was far from sincere (“Words without thoughts never to heaven go”). Moreover, instead of simply gathering sufficient evidence of the king’s guilt and then confronting him quickly, Hamlet desires to know every last piece of information before taking action. His analytical abilities and tireless mind causes him to question and find flaws in everything and therefore, he believes in nothing –including himself. This trait is what sets him apart from Oedipus, who was confident in both his abilities and the righteousness of his cause due to his faith in the gods, since Hamlet at some point doubts everything in his life: love, loyalty, and even instructions from a supernatural realm. Hamlet’s suspicions are what make him so dangerous, as he is able to disconnect from anyone or anything at will –as shown by his sudden and cold detachment from Ophelia, a woman to whom he had consistently sworn his love prior to the start of the play.

Eventually, Hamlet’s charade of insanity gets the better of him. When confronting his mother, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father another time. On this occasion, the ghost is not visible to then other characters and is most likely an illusion that he created in his own mind. Hamlet at this point has lost control, after the doubt he had experienced in the king’s chambers he then switched entirely –not wanting to miss another opportunity deliberating over the circumstances- and strikes out rashly at the figure in the curtain. It is the shock of this act that changes him; he is horrified by his own actions and then at this point allows the insanity to no longer be just an act, but an aspect of his personality (429).